Distance determination systems that provide a distance estimate between a vehicle and an object can be useful in a number of situations. As one example, parking in a relatively small garage or parking space may be challenging for some individuals. Incorrectly parking a vehicle in a confined garage space may result in damage to the vehicle body (e.g., caused by a garage door, another vehicle, or another obstruction). Park assist systems are used to indicate obstacles located in front of or behind a vehicle during parking. As one example, a vehicle may include one or more ultrasonic sensors that can be used to provide a distance estimate between the vehicle and an object or surface. While such ultrasonic sensor based systems can be useful relative to a large object or surface, they may have difficulty in detecting a smaller object such as a handle or branch in proximity to the vehicle.
As another example, some types of park assist systems include an imaging device such as a camera that is mounted to a front portion or a rear portion of the vehicle. The camera acquires image data that represents a viewable area either in front of or behind the vehicle. The park assist system may then provide feedback to the driver to indicate how to maneuver the vehicle into a garage or parking space.
Stereoscopic camera-based systems can be used to capture multiple images at the same time from multiple cameras and make distance estimates based on known angles and displacement of the cameras relative to a targeted object in the image fields of the cameras. Stereoscopic cameras typically require precise timing relative to each other. Stereoscopic camera-based systems may not function correctly if one of the cameras is obstructed or damaged. The inclusion of multiple cameras and associated interfaces in a stereoscopic camera-based system also adds to overall vehicle cost.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved distance determination system which exhibits accurate distance estimation relative to variously sized objects while keeping associated hardware costs low.